Tasting Some Bourbons [Whiskey Wednesday]
Wild Turkey 81
On Sunday, I hosted a bourbon-tasting and, of course, I greatly enjoyed it. Of the four bourbons, I had had one of them before, so the other three were new to me. The first of them, Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey, was incredible and head-and-shoulders significantly better than the rest, and, unsurprisingly, went swiftly. It’s a very tasty bourbon and I’m not even going to comment further on it. However, here are my thoughts on the other three:
Wild Turkey 81
To be honest, I underestimated this bourbon – I didn’t expect much out of it, but it’s a nice bourbon. I found it to have a nice, oakey nose and not harsh. Hitting the palate, it’s a touch harsh, but pretty smooth, and finishes fine, with a little spice. I also detected a faint fruitiness in there, as well.
Jim Beam Black
Jim Beam Black Double Aged
There is not a whole lot to the nose, in which there is some oakiness. This is a surprisingly smooth bourbon! It hits the palate very smoothly, begins to get some spicing while on the palate. Its finish is an amusing combination of a pleasant smoothness and a felicitous spice, which leaves one with a nice taste in one’s mouth! I was pleasantly surprised with this bourbon.
Woodford Reserve
Woodford Reserve
The nose is very sweet on this bourbon; when it hits the palate, it is also quite smooth; along the palate, it retains its smoothness while also picking up some spice. There is a nice finish to it, which is, like the aforementioned, a light balance of smoothness and spicing, although this has a lighter spicing to it, with a touch of oakiness and a little bit of fruitiness to it, making it a bit sweeter.
I enjoyed all of the bourbons and have been familiar with Woodford Reserve and its mellowness, although the Wild Turkey 81 was decent and the Jim Beam Black surprised me as being a pleasant balance of being pretty smooth accompanied with a requisite amount of spicing.
